


The Sweater Curse

by Mother_of_Eevees



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crochet, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, Knitting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mother_of_Eevees/pseuds/Mother_of_Eevees
Summary: Oikawa and Ushijima, knitters and crocheters...can they ever get along?
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 27
Kudos: 95





	The Sweater Curse

“Excuse me, that’s my yarn,” Oikawa says, reaching for the neatly-wrapped bundle on the counter.

“I believe you are mistaken,” responds the man in front of him. His face is hidden, but the voice is burned into Oikawa’s brain. 

Oikawa had been looking at the yarn on the counter, but when he hears that voice, he looks up. His eyes widen and his lip curls.

“Ushiwaka?! What are you doing here? That is definitely my yarn! Moniwa-san put it aside for me.”

“Your order is in the back, Oikawa-kun. Let me get it for you,” the shopkeeper interrupts, ducking behind a curtain in search of his order.

Oikawa leans on the counter and looks over at Ushijima, who is now looking at some light purple yarn near the magazine section. “Ushiwaka, I didn’t take you for a knitter,” he drawls.

“I am not a knitter, as a matter of fact,” Ushijima replies. He consults the pattern he is holding and puts several skeins of lilac yarn in a small basket.

“Then why are you here?”

Ushijima puts a skein of white yarn in the basket and glances over at Oikawa. “I crochet,” he replies as if it were the only obvious answer.

“Ohhhh, crochet,” Oikawa flaps his hand dismissively. “Only Ushiwaka would choose something so simple-minded.” 

“I learned it from my grandmother.” 

“How nice. Well, I guess you have a lot of free time on your hands now, since you’re not going to Nationals.”

“That is correct. You must as well, since we were both defeated by Karasuno.”

Oikawa merely sniffs at that comment; any further remarks are dispelled by the shopkeeper returning from the back with the skeins Oikawa had requested. “Ah, Moniwa-san, would you mind winding those for me? It would save me so much time,” 

“Of course, Oikawa-kun. I’ll have my nephew do it if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes,”

“Thank you, Moniwa-san.” Oikawa sprawls in one of the shop’s overstuffed armchairs and pulls a slice of milk bread from a bakery bag. He takes a bite and looks over at Ushijima.

“So, what are you making?”

“I’m making a sweater.”

“For yourself?”

“No, it is a gift.”

OIkawa gasps theatrically. “What? Ushiwaka, no! Have you never heard of the sweater curse?”

“No. I am not familiar with this term. Please tell me more about it.”

“You can’t knit a sweater for a boyfriend or girlfriend, your relationship won’t survive. They’ll break up with you before it’s finished.”

“It’s true!” the store clerk says, as she directs her nephew to set up the swift and start winding the first skein. “It happened to a friend of mine. She was making a beautiful sweater with a very complicated pattern, and her boyfriend broke up with her. I’ve heard that the only way to keep the curse from ruining your relationship is by deliberately making a mistake in the sweater, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

Ushijima listens intently, then nods. “That is very interesting, Moniwa-san, but fortunately I believe I do not have to worry about that. First of all, this is a sweater for my cousin and their spouse. They are having a baby and I am making them a sweater for the child. Second, I do not believe in curses.”

“Well, I suppose someone you’ve never met can’t hate even you, Ushiwaka. Babies are probably different.” Oikawa pauses, then adds, “Are you making that baby sweater in Shiratorizawa colors?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Of course,” Oikawa repeats, turning slightly so that Ushijima couldn’t see him rolling his eyes. “Ah, Moniwa-san, thank you for winding those! Now I can start working on gifts for the team. See you next week!” He pays for his purchase and breezes out, leaving Ushijima nonplussed in his wake.

A week later, Ushijima sits at the communal table at the yarn store. The baby sweater is nearly complete and he is pleased with its appearance. The door swings open and Oikawa saunters in.

“Yoohoo, Ushiwaka. Did you give your cousin the gift yet?”

“Good afternoon, Oikawa. I have not given them the gift. I hope to be finished with the sweater in the next few days.”

“Ah, excellent. You can add this when you give it to them, then.” He places a small bundle next to Ushijima’s bag.

“May I look?”

Oikawa flaps a hand in assent.

“This is beautiful, Oikawa,” Ushijima says, lifting the paper and examining a baby hat and matching booties. The hat is light green and has a pattern of leaves worked throughout; the booties are a matching light green with a lace edging. “The workmanship is exquisite. This style of knitting is known as fair isle, is it not?”

“It’s just a little something I whipped up,” Oikawa says. “I wanted to practice my colorwork, and I wanted the child to have options and not be covered in Shiratorizawa colors.” 

“Ah yes, I see that you have incorporated the Seijoh colors.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Moniwa-san stocks the colors of all the local teams.”

“That is a smart business idea. May I ask what you are working on now?”

Oikawa flops in a chair and pulls out his latest project.

“I’m making socks for Iwa-chan.”

“I assume there is no sock curse, is that correct?”

Oikawa raises an eyebrow at him. “Was that a joke, Ushiwaka? I’m so proud of you, but Iwa-chan isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Ah, please forgive my error. Do you have a girlfriend then?”

“I had one, but she broke up with me,” he knits a couple of rows then looks sideways at Ushijima. “Volleyball is my first love, but I like both boys and girls. And a good captain has to make everyone fall in love with him a little. Love is a better motivator than fear, at least in my experience,”

Ushijima nods thoughtfully. “I have heard other opinions, but I agree with you. Although it makes the job harder in some ways.”

They work for a time in a silence that was almost companionable.

Suddenly the door flies open, and a girl dashes in.

“Moniwa-san, the worst thing has happened!” she bursts into noisy tears and the shopkeeper comes out from behind the counter and leads the girl to a chair.

“Remember I came in last month for that special yarn? I was making a sweater for my boyfriend on the volleyball team, but he broke up with me! Now what will I do?” She bursts into tears and puts her head in her hands. Moniwa-san pats her head and looks over at her nephew. “Kaname-kun? Will you bring out some hot chocolate from the back for Sakura-chan?”

Oikawa and Ushijima look at each other. Ushijima says quietly, “Maybe there is something to the sweater curse after all,”

“Of course it’s real, Ushiwaka, but what’s more important is that Kaname-kun is making hot chocolate in the back!” Oikawa stands up and goes to the back to wheedle some hot chocolate from his former rival.

After convincing Kaname to make them hot chocolate as well, Oikawa and Ushijima stay in the back room, chatting with him about volleyball and debating Karasuno’s chances at Nationals. By the time they finish and rinse out their mugs, the girl is gone and they return to the table.

“Did you recognize her school uniform? Looked like Johzenji to me. There are a couple of heartbreakers on that team.”

“You are more familiar with the girls’ uniforms than I, Oikawa.” Ushijima rolls up the sweater and tucks it into his bag, along with the hat and booties Oikawa had made. “Thank you for the gift. I’m sure my cousin will appreciate it.”

xx

Oikawa finds himself falling into a routine of going to the yarn shop to work on his knitting projects. He tells himself that it is because he is working on complicated techniques and it is just a coincidence he kept coming back when he knows Ushijima will be there. He hadn’t meant to ask Kaname-kun after that first time, but it just happened and he might as well have some company while he was working on his projects. He nods at Ushijima as he takes a spot across from him at the table.

“So, what about you, Ushiwaka? Do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?”

“I have had some confessions. And like you, volleyball is my first love.” Oikawa nods in understanding.

“But I did have a relationship with someone I met at a volleyball camp, but we decided that we were better off as friends.” Oikawa’s eyebrows rise and he knits several rows in silence, both so he can concentrate on the pattern he is working and to consider who Ushijima might be referring to. 

“What are you working on now? Every time I see you you’ve got a new project.”

“I prefer to work on smaller projects. Currently I am making amigurumi of the first years’ favorite Pokemon. Satori suggested that it would be a good gift and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting sizes correct.” 

The shop door opens and they both turn to see who it is. This time, it is two members of the Shiratorizawa volleyball team: Goshiki and Tendou.

“Goshiki-kun? What are you doing here?” Ushijima slides the Pokemon he is working on into his bag and turns to face his teammates.

“Ushijima-san! I asked Tendou-san where you were and he helped me find this store.” Goshiki responds breathlessly. 

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to show you this,” he reaches in his bag and pulls out a cardigan in Shiratorizawa colors, with buttons that look like miniature volleyballs. It is beautifully made, and spectacularly ugly.

A low whistle involuntarily escapes Oikawa’s lips upon seeing it. Tendou looks up, noticing Oikawa for the first time. 

“You see the dilemma - Mei-chan in class 2 made it for Tsutomu-kun and confessed to him.”

“And did you accept her confession?” Ushijima asks.

“I told her how much I appreciated her gift, but I could never return her feelings. I love only volleyball and am dedicated to becoming the ace!” Goshiki’s voice increases in volume as he spoke and by the time he gets to “ace!” he is almost shouting. All three of the third-years wince and motion for him to be quieter. 

Tendou had edged closer to Oikawa and after Goshiki finishes, he whispers in Oikawa’s ear “That, and he has the world’s biggest crush on Toshi,”

Oikawa ignores Tendou’s comment and shakes his head in mock sadness. “Can you imagine how much time she spent on this? Kids these days. They should stick to handmade chocolates – at least if their feelings aren’t returned then they haven’t spent so much time on something. Plus they can eat the leftovers.”

Tendou laughs. “I agree! You’re very practical, Captain-kun!” 

Ushijima is silent after Goshiki’s outburst. “Perhaps we should ask Moniwa-san for some of her hot chocolate,” he stands up and guides Goshiki to the back in search of a distraction.

Tendou sits in the seat Ushijma had been sitting in and looks over at Oikawa. “Now I see why our Toshi is suddenly here so often,” he says softly. 

“He likes hot chocolate? And there is a bakery right next door, very convenient for after-school snacks.”

“He told me about the bakery, but I think he’s here for the company,” 

“That’s ridiculous!” Oikawa scoffs and looks away, but feels his cheeks turning pink with a blush. Tendou raises his eyebrows, and changes the subject till Goshiki comes back, clutching a paper cup with hot chocolate. Oikawa cocks his head to try and overhear what Ushijma is saying.

“Even though you rejected her confession, she told you to keep the sweater?” Goshiki nods. “Do you still have a crochet hook?” Goshiki nods again. “After you finish your homework, we’ll try to repurpose the yarn and make something for the team.”

“Thank you, Ushijima-senpai! You’re the best!” Goshiki whisper-shouts as they leave. Tendou waves over his shoulder and winks at Oikawa, who rolls his eyes and ignores him.

After Goshiki and Tendou left, it is quiet, like the aftermath of a sudden storm. Ushijima and Oikawa work in silence for a few moments, then simultaneously look up at one another.

“My aesthetic sense is not highly developed, but that sweater was….not particularly attractive,” Ushijima says, with the hint of a smile on his lips. Oikawa bursts out laughing.

“I can’t believe how ugly it was! I wish I could’ve seen both of their faces when she gave it to him!”

“Do you think that is another example of the sweater curse?” Ushijima asks.

“I thought you didn’t believe in it?” Oikawa asks teasingly.

“It is probably just coincidence, but I am starting to wonder about many things.”

xx

Later that week, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Matsukawa and Hanamaki are lounging in the courtyard at lunch. After discussing the latest volleyball goings-on, Oikawa is reminded of something.

“Speaking of our volleyball rivals, I saw that cute manager-chan from Karasuno at the yarn shop the other day. When she saw me and Ushiwaka, she got so flustered I thought she was going to have a heart attack and collapse on the spot!” 

“Since when have you been hanging out at the yarn shop?” Iwaizumi asks.

“Since when have you been hanging out at the yarn shop with _Ushiwaka_?” asks Matsukawa.

“It’s quiet and relaxing there and it’s next to the bakery that makes my favorite milk bread. Plus one of the third-years from Dateko is the owner’s nephew and I can convince him to make me hot chocolate.”

Iwaizumi looks at him and raises an eyebrow. 

“But Ushiwaka is there! Do you talk to him?” 

“He doesn’t talk that much, unlike some people I could name,” OIkawa glares at Hanamaki, who rolls his eyes. “Sometimes it’s restful to just sit and knit...or crochet.”

“Wait, Ushiwaka crochets?” says Matsukawa.

“Yes, he’s been making these cute Pokemon amigurumi for his kouhai.”

“Oh great captain-san, will you make me a Pikachu amigurumi?” Hanamaki asks with pleading hands and puppy-dog eyes. He and Matsukawa immediately burst out laughing, then begin arguing about which Pokemon Oikawa should make for them.

“It’s okay if you like him, you know,” Iwaizumi says to Oikawa as they head back to class after lunch.

“I still want to beat him, Iwa-chan,”

“Of course you do. I’m just saying it’s okay to like him.”

xx

Oikawa binds off the last stitch and sighs. “Done! Obaa-chan’s birthday party is next weekend and now I can take it home and block it.”

“That is beautiful, Oikawa. Your devotion to your family is truly admirable.” He notices Oikawa’s hand, which has started to twitch. “Is something the matter with your hand?”

Oikawa looks down at his hand and shrugs. “Ah, it’s nothing. I’ve been trying to finish this and I must’ve overdone it. I had to frog it a few times to get the pattern right and I was worried I wouldn’t get it done in time.”

“Give me your hand,”

Reluctantly, Oikawa holds out his hand and Ushijima begins to massage it. He starts at the top of the palm and works his way down to Oikawa’s wrist. Then he moves on to the fingers, starting at the pinky and massaging each joint before moving on to the next finger. Once he is done with the fingers, he moves to his wrist and gently but firmly strokes up Oikawa’s forearm. 

“Your other hand, please,”

Oikawa holds his left hand out and Ushijima begins to massage it. Oikawa sighes. “Are you okay?” Ushijima asks quietly.

When Oikawa doesn’t respond, Ushijima looks up. Oikawa’s eyes are closed, but his breathing has slowed and his head tilts to the side: Oikawa has fallen asleep. Looking closer, he can see dark circles under his eyes. 

Ushijima sighs. Just as in volleyball, Oikawa overworks himself in pursuit of perfection. He finishes massaging Oikawa’s left hand, then cradles it in both of his. Before he realizes what he is doing, he lifts it to his lips and kisses Oikawa’s palm, then kisses each of his fingers before folding his hand closed. 

As he gently puts Oikawa’s hand on the table, he hears a gasp. Oikawa is awake and staring at him, eyes wide. 

“I’m sorry, Oikawa,” Ushijima says. He picks up his yarn, drops it in his bag, and walks quickly out of the back room, nodding absently to Moniwa-san on his way out. A bus pulls up as he leaves the store and he gets on, heedless of its destination. He takes a seat in the back and buries his head in his hands. 

Oikawa sits in shock for several seconds after he leaves, then springs to his feet. “Ushiwaka-chan! Come back!” He dashes to the door, just in time to catch a mouthful of exhaust from the bus that Ushijima had boarded.

xx

Back in the dorm, Tendou relaxes with the latest issue of _Shonen Jump_. Ushijima came back to the dorm a few minutes ago and went straight to his room. Usually he stops and chats with Tendou, but today he rushed past Tendou’s open door without greeting him. 

Something feels off; Tendou puts the manga on the table and pokes his head out the door. To his surprise, Oikawa Tooru is in the common area, looking around.

“Captain-kun, over here,” he calls softly. Oikawa starts, but relaxes when he recognizes Tendou. He walks into Tendou's room.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s kind of a long story – ”

“Let me guess – Toshi confessed, you freaked out, he ran.”

“Close enough. I need to talk to him. Where is his room?”

“Why?”

“That’s between us. Tell me before I start knocking on doors,”

Minutes later, Oikawa stands in front of Ushijima’s room and knocks on the door. “Wakatoshi,” 

“Go away, Satori,” comes a muffled voice.

“I’m not Satori. Open the door, Wakatoshi,”

The door opens a crack and OIkawa pushes it open, shutting it behind him. 

“What are you doing here?”

“You forgot something.”

Ushijima looks at him quizzically.

Oikawa walks up to him and puts his hand on Ushijima’s cheek, tilting his head down. 

“You forgot this,” he says, gently kissing Ushijima’s cheek. “Also this,” he says, kissing the other cheek. Ushijima closes his eyes and leans into Oikawa’s hand. “And most importantly, you forgot this,” he says, pressing his lips gently to Ushijima’s.

He pulls away after a moment to gauge Ushijima’s reaction. His eyes are half-lidded and staring intently at Oikawa.

“Should I keep going?”

“Please,” Ushijima says in a gravelly voice.

Abandoning delicacy, they start kissing each other relentlessly, almost frantically, all teeth and lips and tongue. Eventually, they break apart, gasping for breath. Ushijima sits down on a chair with a thunk and Oikawa follows, straddling his lap and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. 

“There are so many reasons this won’t work,” Oikawa says, after another bout of kissing leaves them with swollen lips and breathless again.

“That does not mean we cannot – or should not – try,” Ushijima says, and starts to kiss along Oikawa’s jawline and down his neck. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” nipping as he gets to Oikawa’s collarbone. Oikawa gasps and tilts his neck to allow Ushijima better access.

“How long?”

“Since we played against each other in middle school, though it took me a while to realize what the feeling was,” 

“I think I felt the same,”

A knock on the door interrupts their musings. “Hellooo, Tendou Satori here to remind my dear friend Toshi about the rules for visitors in the dorms and the curfew,”

They reluctantly separate, readjusting their clothes (Ushijima) and smoothing their hair (Oikawa). Ushijima walks Oikawa to the dorm entrance, and they embrace for a long moment. 

As he leaves, Oikawa turns back to Ushijima.

“I’m still going to beat you,”

“I look forward to our next competition,”

xx

Oikawa and Ushijima still meet at the yarn store, but they don’t get nearly as much work done on their projects now. There’s a lot more smiling, laughing, blushing and fond touches between the two. Moniwa-san looks on fondly; Kaname-kun generally ignores them, occasionally surreptitiously taking a picture with his phone to send to the Miyagi captains’ group chat when they get too cozy.

“I made you something,” Ushijima says, sliding a package across the table to Oikawa. 

Oikawa hands a package to Ushijima. “What a coincidence, I made you something as well,” 

They smile at each other and open their gifts at the same time, then they burst out laughing because they have made each other gifts in the red and black of Team Japan. Oikawa had knitted socks for Ushijima, and Ushijima made Oikawa a pair of fingerless gloves that converted to mittens.

“I thought about making you a sweater, but I did not want either of us to worry about a curse. Even though I do not believe in curses, sometimes it is better not to tempt fate.”

Oikawa puts on the gloves and stretches out his hands, admiring them, Ushijima’s arms wrapped around him. “They’re perfect, I love them.”

“And they will not take up much room in your suitcase,”

“Good, since you’re already taking up a lot of room in my heart,” Oikawa turns and kisses him. Kaname rolls his eyes, snaps a photo, and sends the picture to the group chat.

**Author's Note:**

> Knitters vs. crocheters rivalry - there are enough articles about it that I guess this really is a thing. I can do both, but am not very good at either. Mad respect to all fiber artists!
> 
> A brief explanation of [Fair isle knitting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle_\(technique\))
> 
> [The sweater curse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweater_curse) is real!
> 
> [Amigurumi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amigurumi) are adorable. 
> 
> Frogging is when you unravel/rip out previously knitted or crocheted yarn to undo a mistake. Sometimes it’s just a couple of stitches, sometimes it’s a couple of rows, sometimes you realize it’s just easier to frog the whole thing and start over. It’s not as bad as it might sound – if you know where you made a mistake, then you can do better the next time.


End file.
